(This is a re-upload... Made a boo boo with the first attempt!)
Remember the fish and the stump from chapter 18?
Many thanks for the link - I didn't remember that and I know why: It seemed to be a dream or a daydream of Ethan.
And tbh, this doesn't look any more real: Why would a catfish, even a Lu-fish, climb out of the water onto a tree stump? Then again, you mentioned somewhere that there are ... things that don't add up with the Renchos, this might be one of them, it doesn't add up for sure :D
This is probably a dream, too, since the entire scenery just changed from an early summer/ late spring forest to a wintry lake, then back to the forest. :)
Ohhh - the the the white stuff is snow!
Edit, 2 days later: Two days ago I totally didn't realize the "change in temperature" expressed in colors, the ice crystals in the background and somehow not even (consciously) that Ethan appears to be touching something when Lu comes back. Now I do. Strange... and worrisome.
The universe bending and heart straining stories always get me.
Small scale reality bending + heart straining sounds accurate for HoK!
author comments